Elderly couple quits Shopee collection point role after stricter six-day rule, low pay and demanding customers
A netizen has shed light on the lesser-known realities of running a Shopee collection point, after their elderly parents quit the role due to its demanding conditions.
In a Reddit post on 25 April, the 30-year-old Redditor, identified as A, said they initially believed the job would be a simple way for their retired parents to earn extra income from home.
Instead, it proved far more taxing than expected.
Elderly parents struggled with long hours, heavy parcels and strict rules
According to the post, A’s parents stopped operating their collection point after about a year, after Shopee made it mandatory for operators to open six days a week instead of five.
Speaking to MS News, A said the change was introduced two months ago.
“Operating a collection point is hard work and not a passive job like many think,” A said.
Source: sahmjann on TikTok. Image for illustration purposes only.
From A’s understanding, the new requirement significantly reduced the couple’s flexibility, as they had to remain at home for up to eight hours daily to receive deliveries and attend to customers.
A added that delivery personnel would leave parcels at the doorstep even if no one was home.
Given previous cases of missing packages in the neighbourhood, the couple felt pressured to stay home even on rest days to avoid being held responsible.
Despite a stated weight limit of 6kg, they also reportedly received bulky items such as dumbbells.
“It’s not easy for my elderly parents when they have to lug in and out heavy parcels,” A said.
Late-night collections and demanding customers added pressure
Beyond the physical strain, the couple also had to deal with challenging customer behaviour.
Source: SPX
Some customers allegedly ignored operating hours and turned up late at night, with a few arriving after 10pm when the elderly couple were preparing to sleep.
“A lot of buyers think my parents work for Shopee and are Shopee’s customer service agents,” A said.
“They will ask my parents questions about delivery times and whatnot and get angry when my parents don’t have the answers.”
A added that some regular customers were disappointed when the couple stopped operating, raising concerns that fewer collection points could inconvenience buyers instead.
“Isn’t it ironic that this will inconvenience buyers instead of giving them more options to choose from?”
Low pay and penalties made role unsustainable
The financial return from running a collection point was also highlighted as a key concern.
Source: sutichak on Canva. Image for illustration purposes only.
According to A, operators earn S$0.30 per parcel regardless of size or weight, meaning 100 parcels would only bring in S$30.
They added that their parents would receive around 30 parcels a day, amounting to a meagre S$9 of revenue daily.
On top of that, operators risk a S$50 penalty each time they are found to be absent during stated operating hours, based on customer complaints with photo evidence.
“You will have to receive more than 160 parcels to make back that amount,” they said.
A noted that many collection point operators are elderly and feel they have little choice but to accept the conditions given to them.
“My post is just to let people know the realities of operating a collection point and not to trust the rosy picture that Shopee painted.”
Minimum working time is 36 hours
According to SPX Express, the independent logistics provider that operates the collection point and locker network, collection point partners are required to work six days a week.
However, the minimum total working time is 36 hours weekly — averaging at least six hours per day.
MS News has reached out to Shopee for more information.
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Featured image adapted from SPX.Â
